| Donna Caponi | |
| Fullname: | Donna Caponi-Byrnes |
| Birth Date: | 29 January 1945 |
| Birth Place: | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Residence: | Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
| Spouse: | Ken Young (1971–81) Ted Byrnes (2006–) |
| Yearpro: | 1965 |
| Extour: | LPGA Tour (joined 1965) |
| Prowins: | 29 |
| Lpgawins: | 24 |
| Otherwins: | 5 |
| Majorwins: | 4 |
| Western: | 21st: 1967 |
| Titleholders: | 12th: 1966 |
| Nabisco: | T13: 1985 |
| Lpga: | Won: 1979, 1981 |
| Wusopen: | Won: 1969, 1970 |
| Dumaurier: | 3rd: 1980, 1982 |
| Wghofid: | donna-caponi |
| Wghofyear: | 2001 |
| Award1: | GWAA Female Player of the Year |
| Year1: | 1981 |
| Award2: | PGA First Lady of Golf Award |
| Year2: | 2010 |
Donna Caponi-Byrnes (born January 29, 1945) is an American LPGA Tour professional golfer. She became a member of the tour in 1965 and won four major championships and 24 LPGA Tour career events. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Caponi was born in Detroit, Michigan. She started playing golf at the age of 5. She learned golf from her father, Harry, and won the Los Angeles Junior title in 1956. She tied for 21st as an amateur at the 1964 Hillside House Ladies' Open on the LPGA Tour.
Caponi joined the LPGA Tour in 1965. She won her first tournament in 1969 at the U.S. Women's Open. She is one of 14 players to make the U.S. Women’s Open her first LPGA victory. She would repeat as champion in 1970. Only Mickey Wright had ever won back-to-back U.S. Women's Opens before Caponi, who also matched Wright's 72-hole scoring record of 287. She would go on to win a total of 24 events on the LPGA Tour, including four major championships.
Caponi was named Female Player of the Year by Golf Writers Association of America in 1981. She finished in the top ten on the money list ten times between 1968 and 1981, including second-place finishes in 1976 and 1980. She retired from full-time competition in 1988. She was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2001. In 2009, she was the recipient of the PGA First Lady of Golf Award.[1]
She is currently an announcer on the Golf Channel, covering the Champions Tour.
From 1971 to 1981, Caponi was married to Ken Young and was known as Donna Caponi Young. After her divorce in 1981, she changed her name back to Donna Caponi.[2] She married her longtime boyfriend Edward "Ted" Byrnes on July 29, 2006, and changed her name to Donna Caponi-Byrnes.
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| LPGA Tour major championships (4) | |
| Other LPGA Tour (20) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jun 29, 1969 | U.S. Women's Open | +2 (74-75-76-69=294) | 1 stroke |  Peggy Wilson | |
| 2 | Sep 21, 1969 | Lincoln-Mercury Open | −2 (74-68-72=214) | Playoff | Kathy Whitworth | |
| 3 | May 24, 1970 | Bluegrass Invitational | −2 (72-70-72=214) | 1 stroke | Mary Mills | |
| 4 | Jul 5, 1970 | U.S. Women's Open | +3 (69-70-71-77=287) | 1 stroke | Sandra Haynie Sandra Spuzich | |
| 5 | May 20, 1973 | Bluegrass Invitational | −3 (72-72-72=216) | 2 strokes | Sandra Spuzich | |
| 6 | Feb 2, 1975 | Burdine's Invitational | −8 (70-71-67=208) | 3 strokes | Kathy Cornelius | |
| 7 | May 11, 1975 | Lady Tara Classic | −5 (72-70-72=214) | 1 stroke | Gloria Ehret Sandra Post | |
| 8 | Jun 13, 1976 | Peter Jackson Classic | −4 (72-73-67=212) | Playoff | Judy Rankin | |
| 9 | Sep 19, 1976 | Portland Classic | −2 (72-71-74=217) | Playoff | Clifford Ann Creed | |
| 10 | Sep 26, 1976 | The Carlton | −6 (69-69-72-72=282) | 5 strokes | Jane Blalock Judy Rankin | |
| 11 | Nov 3, 1976 | LPGA/Japan Mizuno Classic | −5 (74-71-72=217) | 4 strokes |  Chako Higuchi | |
| 12 | Sep 17, 1978 | The Sarah Coventry | −10 (72-71-68-71=282) | 5 strokes | Jane Blalock | |
| 13 | Oct 22, 1978 | Houston Exchange Clubs Classic | −9 (70-68-69=207) | 3 strokes | Alexandra Reinhardt | |
| 14 | Jun 10, 1979 | LPGA Championship | −9 (69-70-70-70=279) | 3 strokes | Jerilyn Britz | |
| 15 | Mar 23, 1980 | LPGA National Pro-Am | −2 (71-74-71-70=286) | 1 stroke | Nancy Lopez | |
| 16 | Apr 6, 1980 | Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner's Circle | −13 (71-67-66-71=275) | 2 strokes | Amy Alcott | |
| 17 | May 25, 1980 | Corning Classic | −7 (66-72-69-74=281) | 2 strokes | Myra Blackwelder | |
| 18 | Sep 14, 1980 | United Virginia Bank Classic | −11 (70-67-66-74=277) | 4 strokes | Nancy Lopez | |
| 19 | Sep 21, 1980 | ERA Real Estate Classic | −9 (75-68-71-69=283) | 5 strokes | Shelley Hamlin | |
| 20 | Mar 22, 1981 | LPGA Desert Inn Pro-Am | −3 (74-75-69-68=286) | 3 strokes | Pat Bradley | |
| 21 | Apr 12, 1981 | American Defender/WRAL Golf Classic | −8 (71-65-72=208) | 1 stroke | Cathy Sherk | |
| 22 | Jun 14, 1981 | LPGA Championship | −8 (69-68-70-73=280) | 1 stroke | Jerilyn Britz Pat Meyers | |
| 23 | Jul 19, 1981 | WUI Classic | −6 (71-69-69-73=282) | 2 strokes | Julie Pyne | |
| 24 | Aug 2, 1981 | Boston Five Classic | −12 (69-68-68-71=276) | 6 strokes |  Jan Stephenson |
Note: Caponi won the Peter Jackson Classic (which became the du Maurier Classic) and the Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner's Circle (now known as the Kraft Nabisco Championship) before they became major championships.
LPGA Tour playoff record (3–5)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1969 | Lincoln-Mercury Open | Kathy Whitworth | Won with par on first extra hole | |
| 2 | 1974 | Spuzich won with par on fifth extra hole Whitworth eliminated by par on third hole | |||
| 3 | 1976 | Peter Jackson Classic | Judy Rankin | Won with par on first extra hole | |
| 4 | 1976 | Portland Classic | Clifford Ann Creed | Won with birdie on second extra hole | |
| 5 | 1979 | Women's Kemper Open | JoAnne Carner Chako Higuchi Nancy Lopez Jan Stephenson | Carner won with par on second extra hole Caponi, Lopez, and Stephenson eliminated by par on first hole | |
| 6 | 1980 | West Virginia LPGA Classic | Sandra Post | Lost to birdie on third extra hole | |
| 7 | 1981 | Florida Lady Citrus | Beth Daniel Cindy Hill Patti Rizzo Patty Sheehan | Daniel won with birdie on second extra hole Hill, Rizzo, and Sheehan eliminated by par on first hole | |
| 8 | 1981 | Inamori Classic | Amy Alcott Hollis Stacy Jan Stephenson | Stacy won with birdie on first extra hole |
| Year | Championship | Winning score | Margin | Runner(s)-up | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| +2 (74-76-75-69=294) | 1 stroke | Peggy Wilson | |||
| +3 (69-70-71-77=287) | 1 stroke | Sandra Haynie, Sandra Spuzich | |||
| −9 (69-70-70-70=279) | 3 strokes | Jerilyn Britz | |||
| −8 (69-68-70-73=280) | 1 stroke | Jerilyn Britz, Pat Meyers |